


Of Love & Seafoam

by kainess



Category: Disney - All Media Types, EXO, EXO (Band), K-pop
Genre: AU, Angst, BaekYeol - Freeform, Baekhyun - Freeform, ChanBaek - Freeform, Chanyeol - Freeform, Chen - Freeform, Disney, EXO - Freeform, Fluff, Forbidden Love, Jongdae - Freeform, Kai - Freeform, Kyungsoo - Freeform, Lay - Freeform, Little Mermaid Elements, M/M, MermanAU, Minseok - Freeform, Sehun - Freeform, Suho - Freeform, Xiumin - Freeform, Yixing, jongin - Freeform, junmyeon - Freeform, kpop, marmaidau
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-04
Updated: 2018-02-15
Packaged: 2019-03-13 16:51:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,402
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13574820
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kainess/pseuds/kainess
Summary: A merman falling in love with a human is nearly unheard of with the exception of fairytales- but a merman falling in love with a fisherman? Now things have just gotten a little more complicated..Where the beautiful merman named Byun Baekhyun wants nothing more than to catch the attention (and heart) of a certain fisherman named Park Chanyeol.."When the world says, "Give up," hope whispers, "Try one more time," and someday, I'll be apart of your world."





	1. love is in the...water?

**Author's Note:**

> This story is an entry for the ✵ RÊVEUR Writing Contest over on AFF! I wanted to post this over here as well so you guys could read it too ^^ You can find the link for the writing contest on AFF down below :D

Baekhyun's heart is racing in his chest while his violet eyes follow the human around. He was brave today, having ventured closer to the land than he had ever done before with only the leaves and branches of trees dipping into the water hiding him. He's holding onto a branch gently, the crimson red scales on his tan arms shimmering brightly under the sunlight. He wanted to get close today; close enough to where he'd be able to hear his human's voice and see his facial features up close. Baekhyun knows what he's doing is reckless and stupid but he just can't help himself. There's something about the man that just pulls him in.

Waves carrying white foam are crashing into the sandy shore as the man walks around barefoot with his pant legs rolled up to his knees. There's a straw hat on his head that's blocking the harmful rays of the sun and Baekhyun can just barely make out the man's black bangs almost covering his eyes. He's wearing a shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his shoulders, something that he thinks emphasizes his muscle tone. His tan skin is glowing in the sun and Baekhyun feels himself being pulled in more and more with each passing second. He nervously licks his lips when he sees another man walk over to his human, saying something that Baekhyun can't quite make out while pointing to their fishing boat that's docked somewhere Baekhyun can't see. It was his cue to leave when seeing a third human approach the two, though he couldn't find himself leaving without hearing his human's voice. He wanted to hear what it was like just this once. Just this once and then he wouldn't come this close again. 

He's never been close to three humans before and his body and mind were screaming at him to leave, to swim away as far and fast as he can before he gets caught. He knows what fishermen do to merman. Yet his heart was telling him to stay, tricking him into thinking that he'd be able to hear his voice. His violet eyes widen when he sees his lips move in a way that mimics talking and he grips onto his branch tighter while leaning forward in attempt to hear his voice. He's hyperfocused on the human and doesn't hear the cracking of the branch beneath his body weight nor does he notice how much closer the three men have gotten to him. It's not until the branch fully gives out, snapping under his weight and plunging him into the shallow water with a loud splash that Baekhyun realizes the position he's in.

He's frozen in place, propped on the broken branches in the water underneath him before his adrenaline kicks in. His eyes widen in fear when the three men look in his direction, shouting and running for their boat.  _Shit._ He quickly pushes himself from the shallow water and heads for the deeper waters where he knows he's safe. He's swimming like his life depends on it, because well, _it does_. Kyungsoo was going to murder him if he didn't get caught by the fishermen. He can hear the motor of the boat in the distance and he swims further down from the surface so they wouldn't be able to easily spot him. It's times like these where Baekhyun wishes his fin and scales were made of a blue color so he'd be able to blend in easier; it was no wonder that mermaids and merman with red scales and fins such as his got caught by fishermen more. They stuck out like sore thumbs. A panicked noise escapes his lips when he sees the boat directly above him before he swims further down. Was he low enough to be out of the reach of the net? He wasn't sure; he had never seen a net in person before. He didn't know how far they could go. Oh, Kyungsoo was really going to kill him. 

His heart was truly pounding now and his awareness of his surroundings has tripled as he dodges seaweed and rocks in order to keep himself directly under the boat. He knows that should he get ahead of the boat or fall behind they might see him, so he had a better chance of getting away if he stays right beneath them where they're unable to see him. Luck's not on his side however, because Baekhyun doesn't realize how close to the surface he truly is until he nearly bumps into the underside of the boat. That's when he can hear it though. _His voice._ It sends shivers throughout his body and his senses completely fail on him. He's frozen with wide eyes as he desperately tries to hear what he's saying. He can't understand though, humans and mermen spoke different languages. They had an aquatic language whereas humans spoke many different languages but aquatic. At least that's what he's learned based off the books he's managed to find underwater. He's picked up a few words from different languages from the books he's gone through; some words he can definitely recognize when he hears humans speak. 

His voice is deep, unlike anything he's ever heard from a merman before. This was certainly a voice that belonged to a human. He finds himself captivated with the voice that was deeper than thunder. His heart is pounding but for a completely different reason now. It's not until a hand plunges into the water, grabbing his small wrist and pulling him up that Baekhyun once again remembers the situation he's in. It's as if the world has completely froze as he stares the man in the eyes. Baekhyun's black hair is wet and matted to his face, his hand shaking in the man's grip as the other keeps a firm grip on him. _His human was beautiful._  He's breathless; a result of being terrified out of his mind and excited all at the same time. The man doesn't seem to know what to do as he anxiously glances around. The two men from earlier where no where in sight; they must be on another part of the boat. He opens his mouth to speak, though Baekhyun doesn't understand a word that's being said. He instead takes the time to take in his facial features; after all this might be the last time he sees him or he might die soon after this so he might as well memorize his face as much as he can. This _is_ what he wanted after all. He could see the small blemishes of his skin, his straight teeth, the way his bangs fell just above his eyes, the way his eyebrows furrow as he speaks- everything about this human was beautiful. The human seems to notice the dazed expression on Baekhyun's face and his grip loosens around his wrist. 

" _Go. Quickly._ " He recognizes that. The man releases his wrist from his grip and gestures to the water with his head. Baekhyun hesitates though he quickly plunges back into the water soon after, his heart slamming in his chest as he swims as fast and as far from the boat as he can. He keeps swimming until he reaches the familiar kingdom he calls home. 

It takes a while for his breathing to stable, his shaky hand resting on his chest as he looks around with wide eyes. Kyungsoo didn't seem to be around. Maybe he actually got away with this. Baekhyun knew he was lucky that he got away with his life, but he couldn't stop thinking about the fishermen. Why had he spared him? Why pull him up only to let him go after? So many questions were running through his mind and he was starting to grow dizzy from it. He shakes his head slowly and makes his way towards his home.

.

Once again luck seems to be against Baekhyun when he finds Kyungsoo waiting for him outside his home located near a coral reef. "Where were you?" The merman asks before Baekhyun can even greet the other. He was still catching his breath from out swimming the boat earlier and he knew his appearance was quite a mess. He also knew that Kyungsoo could read him like an open book. "Seriously? You went to see him again?"

"It's not a big deal, Soo." He mumbles awkwardly, refusing to look the other in the eyes. 

"You stayed at a safe distance, right?" The tone of Kyungsoo's voice makes Baekhyun feel even more hesitant to meet his gaze. " _Baekhyun_." 

"I was...safe." He huffs. "Do you want to come in?" He quickly asks and points to the seaweed bed behind him.

"Define safe."

"...I came back?"

"Baekhyun!" Kyungsoo shouts disbelievingly. "Did he see you? Did he hurt you? _Did they see you?_ " He swims up to Baekhyun, eyes filled with concern as he scans his facial features closely. Everything about Baekhyun was sending off red flags in Kyungsoo's mind. His disheveled appearance, his rapid breathing, and his refusal to make eye contact. Baekhyun had more than likely gotten himself into trouble and was refusing to let him know about it. Baekhyun makes this half shrug in attempt to answer Kyungsoo's question. "Byun Baekhyun, did they see you?"

"Well, only one." He blurts quickly. "Technically." Kyungsoo's pinching the bridge of his nose, his purple tail curling up behind him. 

"What does that even mean?"

"So, I may or may not have gotten too close to him today and ended up falling on some branches. The three of them-"

"There was three?"

"-then heard me and hopped on their boat and chased after me. They even caught me!"

"They caught you?" There's panic in Kyungsoo's voice and his wide eyes are staring at him in horror. He really did feel bad for stressing the other out so much. 

" _He_ caught me." He responds with wide eyes, his cheeks growing red as he thinks back to it. 

"You're seriously blushing over this? Baekhyun, you could have been killed." He's only a few inches from his face and Baekhyun backs up after a second. Kyungsoo had a problem with keeping people's personal space in mind. Especially when he was worried. "How did you get away?" He asks in a soft voice.

"He grabbed my wrist and pulled me out of the water." He hums as he thinks back to the chain of events. "I got a really good look at his face. Kyungsoo, he's so beautiful." He gushes and cups his cheeks with his hands. "Really really _really_ beautiful."

"Get to the point please."

"Sorry." His cheeks redden out of embarrassment. "He looked me in the eyes and I felt like everything around us stopped moving. I've never felt that way before, Soo. And he started speaking to me but I couldn't understand what he was saying." His eyebrows furrow as he tries to register the words in his mind before his eyes widen quickly. "Go. Quickly." He repeats to the best of his abilities. "And then he gestured to the water and let go of my wrist. Then I swam away and now I'm here. Kyungsoo, he freed me! He saved me."

"That's...odd." He's rubbing his arm anxiously, his bottom lip tucked between his teeth. Something wasn't adding up. Kyungsoo's experiences with fishermen had always been negative. They never freed him like the one with Baekhyun had. This was nothing like the stories he's heard about fishermen and humans. "He felt something too." Baekhyun says and swims into his home, wrapping himself in the surrounding seaweed until he was comfortable. "Why else would he have let me go, Kyungsoo? Fishermen don't just _let_ us go."

Kyungsoo was at a loss for words. "Our kind and humans are not meant to be. We were never meant to be. Especially fishermen." He says with narrow eyes, following Baekhyun inside. "How would it even work? You can't live on land and he'd drown down here. You'd be treated like a science experiment up there and he might get eaten down here. You two don't even speak the same language." Baekhyun was growing flustered, his cheeks reddening as he fiddles with a piece of seaweed. 

"That doesn't matter. I can learn his language and then I can teach him mine." He pouts slightly and glances over at his friend. "And- and I can figure that out. Junmyeon-"

"Don't you even continue with what you are going to say." Kyungsoo immediately says. "I don't want to hear his name come out of your mouth."

"-Junmeyon can help me. He's helped other mermaids and mermen live happily ever after with their humans." Kyungsoo sighs loudly and sits down on a string of seaweed that Baekhyun had woven together to make something similar to a hammock. "He knows everything about the human world, too. He knows the languages, what they do for livings, how they make money- he knows everything."

"Baekhyun, stop. Have you forgotten who Junmyeon is? What he is like? _He's dangerous_." 

"He can't be that bad."

"He's a witch! He makes deals for a _price_. He's manipulative and sneaky and he can't be trusted. I don't want to hear in the local gossip on how you got tangled up with Junmyeon and vanished from the face of the earth. _Please_ , Baekhyun. A human cannot be worth all of that. You can find someone down here, too. Baekhyun, please. You can be happy with a merman too-"

"He isn't a merman!" He shouts with wide eyes. "I can't find anyone else like him. He's different; there's something about him. I wish I could show you what he's like." He sighs silently before jolting upwards with such a force that Kyungsoo nearly falls from the hammock he's seated on. "What?" Kyungsoo asks with wide eyes. 

"I want you to see him."

"How is that even- no. Baekhyun, _no_." He slides off his seat and swims up to Baekhyun, his eyes wide as he stops only a few inches from him. "Absolutely not."

"Tomorrow I'm taking you to meet him. Well, watch him." Baekhyun adds the last part with pursed lips. "We won't actually meet him. But we can watch him! I can take you to my favorite spot! We have to leave early in the morning- that's when his shift starts. He's always alone in the mornings."

"Have you lost your mind? You're crazy if you think I'm willing to put myself in harm's way to see this _monster_." The distaste is evident as he speaks, his nose scrunched as he crosses his arms over his chest. "You remember what fishermen do to our kind, right? What _he's_ probably done to our kind. What he could have done to _you_." 

"He didn't though." Baekhyun's quick to defend. "And you don't know him! I've never seen him hurt anyone before. I don't think he has the heart to hurt someone. He's very gentle." He rambles, a small smile forming on his lips. Kyungsoo looks as if he's about to protest, though the look quickly falls and his eyebrows raise slightly. "If I go with you tomorrow..." Baekhyun already looks extremely pleased and Kyungsoo's slightly annoyed by this. "If I go with you tomorrow, you have to promise me that you will not search for Junmyeon."

"Soo, come on-"

"Promise me or I'm not going!" 

"Okay, okay. I promise, Kyungsoo. I will not search for Junmyeon if you go with me tomorrow." Kyungsoo lifts his hand up, extending his pinky out with an expectant look on his face. "Pinky promise." Baekhyun simply raises an eyebrow at this though raises his hand and wraps his little finger around the other's. 

"Alright," Kyungsoo sighs as he keeps his finger linked with Baekhyun's, "I'll go with you tomorrow."

\---

_A/N: here's the first chapter! ;;u;; I hope it's okay! I'm really excited for this story and what I have planned for it ;;;;u;;;;_

_Here's the[link](https://www.asianfanfics.com/story/view/1301408/r--veur-writing-contest-open-angst-boyxboy-contest-fantasy-supernatural--yoonmin-yuri-chansoo-writingcontest-exo-jinseok-girlxgirl-hunhan-sekai-baekyeol-kaisoo-chanbaek-fairytales-bts-yoonseok-jinkook-jikook-taekook-vhope-yoonkook-vmin-taegi-jihope-namjin-vkook-2seok-redvelvet-wenrene-seulrene-wenseul-vmon-joyri). _

__


	2. a deal is a merman's best friend

"You're sure this will work?" Kyungsoo's voice is barely above that of a whisper as he and Baekhyun are cramped together underneath the branches of trees. "I feel very...exposed." Baekhyun only rolls his eyes at this. 

"We're safe." He assures the other. Kyungsoo huffs quietly as he picks out a leaf from his hair. He was less than amused from their current situation. And all for a human, no less. 

"This is the place you got caught, no?"

Baekhyun side glances Kyungsoo in response. "I didn't get caught here. I simply fell on some branches here. Which- yes, please don't lean on the branches." Kyungsoo's golden eyes snap upwards when hearing sudden voices on the sandy shore of the beach. He quietly glances at Baekhyun before looking back at the man that's now strolling along the beach. Based off the way Baekhyun had the stupidest smile on his face, Kyungsoo thought it was safe to assume that this was the human he was always rambling about. "Isn't he beautiful?" The black haired merman whispers as he grips onto the branch in front of him.

"Please be careful. I don't want you breaking another branch." He mumbles before rolling his eyes when Baekhyun nudges his side roughly. "Yes, he's beautiful." He states flatly. 

"He's not wearing a sun cover today." 

"A sun cover?"

"You know- those things humans put on their heads to protect them from the sun." Baekhyun explains as he raises his hands above his head in a motion to block out the sunrays. "Oh," is the only response Kyungsoo offers. Kyungsoo looks around anxiously as he takes in the surrounding area. They were at a secluded part of the beach, where the trees started to merge with the water, providing shade and cool waters for smaller fish and animals. The two of them were half submerged in water as it wasn't entirely shallow where they were. Baekhyun's holding onto a branch that's just above his head, his finger curling around the wood as he keeps his eyes on the human. Kyungsoo has his arms across his chest, gripping onto his arms nervously as he glances around every few seconds. Yes, they were covered by the leaves and branches, but he still wasn't at ease when around people. 

He's only been to the surface once in his life, though he's never been this close to land. The first and last time he reached the surface he was nearly killed by a fishermen, so Kyungsoo figured it would be the best option to avoid interacting with humans as much as possible. Go figure that his best and only friend would fall in love with a fisherman. He glances down when feeling a small puffer fish bump into his hip, a small smile forming on his lips. "How long do you usually watch him?" Kyungsoo asks as he sways his hand in the water, the small fish following his hand around. 

"A few hours." He hums as he watches his human sit in the sand before lying down and stretching out comfortably. 

"Really?" He looks up from the fish he's playing with to shoot the other a questioning look. "How is that any fun? Sounds kind of boring to me." He mumbles under his breath.

"Maybe if you were in love you'd like staring at them too." He retorts with a scrunched nose. "Though it's kind of weird to picture you happy."

"Rude. And I have a boyfriend, you know. Did you forget about Jongin?" He gently scoops the fish into his hands, watching as a water bubble forms around the small creature. "I don't know how you managed to not get caught. This doesn't seem very hidden." Kyungsoo laughs quietly when the water bubble starts to float around him before floating over to Baekhyun. Baekhyun gently takes the water bubble into his hands, pressing his face against the water as he stares at the cute puffer fish. "Oh, it's smiling at me." He coos. Baekhyun hands the fish back over to Kyungsoo who would more than likely turn it into a pet, before bringing his attention back to the human. Or lack there of. "Huh? Where'd he go?" Baekhyun asks with furrowed eyebrows. Something didn't feel right. 

"He's gone?" Kyungsoo asks and leans forward slightly in order to look around. "I don't see him anywhere. I don't know where he could have gone." He feels his heart beat start to pick up when realizing they lost track of Baekhyun's fisherman. "We should leave." He mumbles and quickly frees the puffer fish from it's bubble, watching it quickly swim away in the water. "It's never a good thing if you can't see them. What if he can see us? We should-" Before Kyungsoo can even get the other to hear him out Baekhyun is swimming as fast as he can towards the shore. "Baekhyun!" He shouts with wide eyes. "What are you doing?" Panic is bubbling up in his throat when the red merman offers no explanation or answer. He feels his eyebrow twitch in annoyance before he swims after the other. He was going to murder Byun Baekhyun if the fisherman didn't do it for him. 

"What the hell are you doing?" He shouts when seeing Baekhyun push himself up onto the shore. "Are you fucking insane?" Kyungsoo felt as if he were two seconds from having a full blown panic attack. He was sticking out in the middle of the water, his upper half in plain view for any fishermen to see. Baekhyun was actually trying to get him killed. 

"He's not breathing!" Baekhyun's nearly hysterical as he pushes his body fully onto the sandy shore. Kyungsoo doesn't know what he means as he wildly looks around. "Where-"

"There!" He yells and points to an area that's surrounded by trees and bushes. Kyungsoo can only see the human's lower half from his angle, though he could tell he wasn't breathing. He groans inwardly and catches up to Baekhyun, pushing himself onto the sand as well. "What are we supposed to do? We can't walk." 

"Crawl!" He shrieks when nothing else comes to mind. Kyungsoo rolls his eyes though crawls up the shore with his friend. "What do we do if his friends from yesterday come back? We're sitting dinner, you know." Baekhyun pays his complaints no mind, however, as he reaches his human's body. "How did he even stop breathing?" 

Baekhyun places his hands on the man's cheeks, his eyes wide in panic as he quickly places his ear to his chest. "I don't know. I don't hear anything. I don't understand- one minute he was strolling and stretching in the sand and the next minute he's not breathing." His voice is trembling as he frantically brushes the hair out of the man's face. "There's sea foam around the corners of his mouth." He quickly wipes the substance from his mouth and presses his head back to his chest. 

"Sea foam?" Kyungsoo questions, leaning over to closely examine the human's mouth. "That wasn't sea foam, Baekhyun. That was saliva. I think he might have had a seizure. Your human has seizures?" 

"I don't know what that is." His voice is cracking and he sounds as if he's only seconds away from sobbing. Baekhyun is suddenly jolting upwards when he hears him breathing again, headbutting Kyungsoo in the process.

"Jesus fucking-" Kyungsoo's hunched over as he presses his hands to his throbbing forehead. 

"He's breathing!" He shrieks joyfully, completely unphased from the earlier contact with Kyungsoo. 

"That's good." He says and sits up straighter. "We should leave now. His friends will come along and help him or he'll wake up soon and go back home." He's looking around to make sure that no one else is in the area. "We're kind of in a bad spot you know. We can't really run away too fast if someone sees us. Mermen aren't fast in sand." He glances down at his tail and rubs his hands over the lilac scales soothingly. He was starting to feel himself dry out from the exposure to the sun and it was starting to become uncomfortable for the boy. 

"We can't just leave him! What if he has another sazure?"

"You mean seizure?" 

"Whatever! What if he has another one and no one is here to help him?" 

"How will we be able to help him if his friends come back and kill us?" He asks with wide eyes. Baekhyun's conflicted; that's for sure. He's chewing on his bottom lip as he looks back at Kyungsoo before looking around the area. They looked to be alone, but that's not to say that his human's friends won't come back any moment. He brings his attention back to the unconscious man and gently cups his cheek, stroking the smooth and soft skin with his thumb. "I'll come back for you." He whispers and slips his free hand into the man's hand. He gives it a comforting and brief squeeze before leaning over and pressing a chaste kiss to the exposed skin of his forehead. He pulls away afterwards and quickly flees back to the safety of the ocean water. 

.

Baekhyun's been pacing around his home ever since the two returned. "Baekhyun, please." Kyungsoo sighs while watching the merman anxiously swim around. "He's okay."

"We don't know that, Soo." He runs his fingers against the temples of his head, his eyes closed as he tries to steady his breathing. "I just have this awful feeling sitting in me. It felt wrong to leave him like that." 

"We could have been killed if we didn't leave. It was dangerous for us to even go onto the shore." Baekhyun doesn't offer a response. "Just promise me that you won't get that close to him again when you visit him next time, okay?" Once again, there's no answer from the black haired boy. Kyungsoo only shakes his head before swimming over to him. "I have to go, okay? Jongin's going to start wondering where I'm at if I don't go back home soon. I'll see you tomorrow, alright?" He frowns slightly when seeing Baekhyun only nod silently. He gently grabs hold of him by his wrist, pulling him into a tight embrace. He rests his chin on Baekhyun's shoulder before pressing a peck to the side of his head. "Don't be hard on yourself. We did everything we could given our situation. I'm sure deep down inside he knows you were there to help and he's grateful." He pulls away after, running a hand through his soft black hair before departing afterwards. 

Baekhyun silently watches Kyungsoo leave before turning his attention to his baby pet octopus. He gently takes the orange creature into his hands, sighing softly as he brings him to eye level. "Jiji, do you think he's okay?" Jiji only squirms around on the palms of his hands in response. "I've decided to name the human Luoyong. He looks like a Luoyong, doesn't he?" He nods his head in agreement when seeing the baby octopus blink in response. "You're right; that doesn't sound as fitting now that I've said it out loud. I don't know what else his name could be. I wish I knew. If only there could be a way to find out." He sighs loudly and sits himself down on his seaweed hammock, Jiji never leaving his hands. 

"What do you think about Junmyeon? Kyungsoo makes him out to be this awful guy, but I've never really held a conversation with him before. It's a little unfair to judge someone you haven't spoken to before, right?" He laughs quietly as Jiji pushes himself off his hands and starts to swim around his head slowly. "I'm glad you agree. Maybe I'll have a conversation with Junmyeon one day. I know I promised Kyungsoo that I wouldn't, but..." He only sighs loudly as he trails off, his eyes following Jiji around. He can't help but snort when feeling the small octopus bump into the side of his cheek. "I just can't help but think that I'm meant to do more than live in water. I feel this _connection_ with him, Jiji. And I know that's stupid and maybe delusional of me to think, but every time I see him... I just can't help but think that I'm meant to be doing something more than just staring at him from hiding spots." Jiji nuzzles into Baekhyun's cheek affectionately and a small smile spreads across his lips. "Jiji..." His eyebrows are furrowed as he carefully thinks over his words. "If I speak to Junmyeon and I disappear, will you go to Kyungsoo and Jongin? Jongin's been wanting a pet anyway." He frowns when he hears an unhappy grunt from his pet. "I don't mean that I don't want you! You're the cutest animal in the entire ocean. Maybe the cutest animal alive in the entire world." He coos and quickly presses a tiny kiss to his head. "But if what Kyungsoo says is true...and if the myths about him are true...he could help me meet my human. I wouldn't be here anymore, right? And I certainly wouldn't want you to be here alone. I think Jongin and Kyungsoo would take good care of you." 

Jiji wasn't pleased with this, though he's no longer making unhappy noises. "I think I'm going to speak with Junmyeon. Do you think he's home? Do you think he's awake? It's not night yet, so he should be, right? I'm going to talk to him." He quickly gets up from the hammock, only to stop and send a look Jiji's way before he leaves his home. "If I don't come back, please go to Kyungsoo and Jongin, alright? Don't tell them I spoke with Junmyeon though." He mumbles sheepishly when thinking of the consequences should Kyungsoo find out he went to find Junmyeon. He'd rather stay missing at that point. 

Once Jiji blinks in response Baekhyun's swimming away from his home. He knew where Junmyeon lived- kind of. He's heard rumors about the merman, though he's never actually seen him. He might not even be real. According to Kyungsoo and Jongin, Junmyeon lives deep in a cave just outside of the kingdom. He didn't like to leave the kingdom other than to see his human; it wasn't always safe. Junmyeon lived in the opposite direction of Baekhyun's human and from what he knows Junmyeon's home isn't in the safest of places. It's shark infested water with creepy fish that Baekhyun's only seen in human books. It's colder and dark too, but that seemed fitting for someone like Junmyeon. He was a witch, at least so Kyungsoo says, and in Baekhyun's mind witches are creepy people who live in creepy places. His breathing picks up as he swims closer and closer to the border of the kingdom, the cheerful and colorful atmosphere becoming more and more bleak. He swallows when the cold water hits him instantly, goosebumps breaking out over his skin. 

"You're okay, you are okay." He chants to himself religiously as he stares down at the sand that separated him from the kingdom and the outside of the kingdom. "Nothing will hurt you. Just swim fast. Fast." He takes in a deep breath before breathing out. "The cave shouldn't be too far ahead. It's only a few minutes from the kingdom. After all, Junmyeon is still a part of the kingdom." He still hasn't moved, however and he's having a hard time coaxing himself into the idea that he'll be fine. He's never been a fan of sharks, though the dark and cool water makes him even more anxious somehow. Sharks enjoyed mermen and mermaids as snacks. After a few minutes he swims over the border, glancing back at the sunny and colorful kingdom before looking back ahead to the gloomy and dark atmosphere. It was hard to imagine it was right next to his kingdom. How was it so dark? He keeps his arms folded over his chest and swims forward, carefully looking for any sign of a cave. His directions weren't exactly great; it was only what he remembered from bits and pieces of conversations he's overheard. No one's actually been to Junmyeon's cave and come back to the kingdom. It was all speculation. 

He jumps slightly when he hears a groan come from somewhere in the darkness around him, his eyes wide. Was that a fish? A shark? Was that a wounded mermaid? He quickly pats his cheeks when realizing that he was getting carried away. It was nothing. Maybe just a fish. Plenty of strange noises came from the ocean. He pushes on, the water getting colder and darker the further he goes until it's pitch black. His eyes are wide and his heart is racing as he looks around. He's never been in water this cold and this dark before and his mind was starting to play tricks on him. "Byun Baekhyun, get yourself together." He whispers angrily before a high pitched scream leaves him when feeling something brush against his torso. Has he ever made a noise like that before? He was feeling his cheeks warm from embarrassment. He was starting to a lose a grip on reality. "J-Junmyeon?" He calls out anxiously. He didn't know why he was calling the others name; it was the only thing he could think of. He freezes when seeing a soft yellow light in the distance, the hairs on his arms sticking straight up. The light could mean one of two things: it was Junmyeon's cave or an anglerfish. He wasn't sure if he was even deep enough to be around anglerfish, but he didn't want to test his luck. He would really appreciate if he wasn't an anglerfish snack, but he found himself swimming towards the light anyway. To his surprise (and relief) it was a small light hanging outside of a cave. "Junmyeon!" He whispers happily and quickly swims up to the entrance. 

However, now Baekhyun's nervous for a completely different reason. Junmyeon could be real and he had no idea if he should just swim in or knock on one of the rocks. "J-Junmyeon? Junmyeon!" He tries to sound confident, though the rise in his voice exposes how he's truly feeling. "Junmyeon, I'm going to come in, okay?" He waits a few seconds for a response, though when none comes he hesitantly swims in. The cave was dark and somehow colder than it was outside. He grips onto his arms nervously, his tail curling behind him anxiously. Other than the light outside, there weren't any other signs of life. That is, until he swims far enough into the cave. He can see the back of the cave glowing in a soft yellow, his eyes squeezing shut when hearing the voice of a man. "Junmyeon." He calls out bravely. The voice suddenly stops, a merman's figure appearing in the distance. 

"Who are you?" The voice asks as it swims closer. "How did you find my home?" Home? How someone could call a place like this _home_ was truly astounding to Baekhyun. 

"I need your help." He squeaks out. He swears silently for how weak he sounded. He needed to appear brave if he wanted the help of Junmyeon. A witch could always smell out someone's fear. It was one of their many talents. 

"What kind of help do you need?" The man asks once he comes into view. Baekhyun blinks once. Then twice. This was Junmyeon? He hardly looked intimidating. In fact, he looked rather _nice._  He had soft facial features and the nicest head of hair he's ever seen. He was pale too, which wasn't surprising considering he lives in a cave surrounded by darkness. And his tail...it was completely black with gold scales here and there. He's never seen a merman or mermaid with a mostly black tail. It was beautiful in an odd way. "Uh- uh, I need help...uh- there's this human-"

"You're in love with a fisherman, is that it?"

Baekhyun's stunned. "How did you know?"

"You aren't the first of your kind to fall for the forbidden fruit." He clicks his tongue as he talks, his arms crossed over his chest. "I can turn you into a human, if that's what you want." Baekhyun feels his heart soar in his chest from Junmyeon's words. He didn't want to get his hopes up, but just the thought of being able to walk up to his human was enough to turn him into a blushing and giggling mess. "Come with me. I can show you the different potions." He gestures the merman to follow him as he swims back towards the direction he came. Baekhyun quickly scrambles after the other, looking around as the two venture further into the cave. "I'm impressed, though." Baekhyun sends the other a questioning glance from his comment. "Most don't come in the middle of the day. Someone could have seen you. Aren't you afraid of being judged?"

"I'm already judged for liking a human."

"A fisherman. That's different from liking a human. Fishermen kill your kind." Baekhyun wasn't sure why he kept referring to mermen and mermaids as "his kind" if Junmyeon was also a merman. 

"I'm aware." Is all Baekhyun offers in response. 

"But yours is different, right?" Junmyeon's voice was condescending and Baekhyun found himself growing annoyed. He decided to keep his tongue pressed to his cheek. "They always say that. With the amount of mermaids claiming that their fisherman is different, you'd think all fishermen were angels. It's surprising that so many are still out there slaughtering your kind like it's no one's business." Baekhyun doesn't know how to respond, though Junmyeon brings him to a small room in the back of the cave before he can figure something out. "These are all my potions." He gestures to the shelves on his walls. "They can do many things. Of course, we only want one that will turn you to a human." He sends a wink to Baekhyun before swimming over and grabbing a neon pink elixir. "This is what you need." He says softly once he turns back around. "There's a price you need to pay." He says when seeing the way Baekhyun was eyeing the elixir. Baekhyun feels his heart drop at the words. He didn't have any money on him. He should have brought some with him. He found a few when exploring ship wrecks. He had plenty of coins to hand over to Junmyeon.

"I don't have any money on me. I can run back home and bring you some though." He quickly says with a straight posture. 

"I don't need your money." He snorts quietly. "I need you to give me something in exchange if you want my potion. Nothing in this world is free." His words dig into Baekhyun deeply as he shifts uncomfortably. "Like what?"

"Your voice, your memories, your language." He hums as he looks around. "I would offer something other than your voice though. I've collected too many." He points his head towards jars sitting on his shelves. "I don't need anymore voices. What do you have to offer me?" This felt wrong, but Baekhyun was already here in Junmyeon's cave and it felt a little late to back out now. 

"How would I even give you something like that?" He asks nervously. 

"Leave that to me. You needn't worry over something like that." Baekhyun purses his lips in thought as he thinks over his options carefully. He didn't want to give up his memories; that felt a little harsh. He wanted to remember Kyungsoo even if he ended up becoming a human. "I guess I could give you my language." He answers unsurely. "What will happen once I give you my language?" He asks when seeing Junmyeon reach over and pick up a small jar. 

"You won't be able to speak with sea life. You won't speak your current language any longer. It will be mine." He says while taking out a small square tablet. "Eat this." Baekhyun backs away slightly when Junmyeon extends his hand. "Relax. I'm not poisoning you. This is how I get your language." He hesitantly takes the tablet from Junmyeon's hand after a few seconds, carefully placing it into his mouth and onto his tongue. He chews slowly, his eyebrows furrowing and his nose scrunching from the taste. His eyes widen when a beam of white light shoots from his eyes and mouth, Junmyeon catching the orb of light that left his mouth in an empty jar. 

Baekhyun's simply staring at the white beam of light in Junmyeon's jar, his eyes wide. "You speak what humans speak now." Junmyeon states in a language that Baekhyun's heard his human speak, though he somehow understands it. "Speak. You'll see what I mean."

"How can I speak this?" He asks as he brings a hand up to his mouth, his fingers running over his lips. 

"You have to speak what they speak. How will you communicate with your human?" He asks with a raised eyebrow. He hands Baekhyun the elixir in his hand afterwards, though raises a hand before Baekhyun opens the container. "Drink it once you reach the shore. If you drink it now you'll drown before you even reach the surface." Baekhyun nearly drops the elixir in fear, Junmyeon laughing afterwards. "Is this what you really want, Baekhyun?" Baekhyun cautiously stares at the witch. How did he know his name? "I can't turn you back into a merman once you drink this. You'll always be a human. Is he worth it? I can give you your language back now if you decide it's not."

"No- I want this. I swear." He quickly says when Junmyeon reaches back for the pink liquid. He pulls it out of Junmyeon's reach, his eyes wide as he grips to it tightly. "I want this. I promise." 

"Then swim to the surface and take it. Make sure you are on the shore when you drink it. If you pass out during the process you'll drown if your face dips into the water." He nods his head quickly. "Then you're free to go. Good luck, Byun Baekhyun." Baekhyun's bolting out of the cave as soon as Junmyeon dismisses him, every hair on his body standing up. His heart is slamming against his ribcage and his mind is screaming at him in a million different languages as to why this was a bad idea and why he should go back and reclaim his language and hand the elixir to Junmyeon. Yet he doesn't, instead he finds himself swimming in the direction of his favorite hiding spot. His heart was heavy, knowing that he wouldn't be able to go back to Kyungsoo or Jiji, or even Jongin. It wouldn't matter if he went back anyway; he and Kyungsoo spoke different languages now and they wouldn't be able to understand each other. 

His eyes are focused above him as he continues to swim towards the surface. It only takes a few minutes before he reaches near the top, closing his eyes briefly as he swims to the shore of the beach. He makes sure that no one is around before dragging himself onto the shore, fumbling clumsily with the small bottle of potion in his hands. After a few minutes of silent struggling he pulls the cap off, staring down at the glowing liquid after. He was really going to do this. Everything he's ever known would never be the same and he'd never be able to go back to his home, or to hang out with his best friend. He slowly brings the bottle up to his lips, closing his eyes and tilting his head back as he pours the elixir into his mouth. He can feel the potion as it slides down the back of his throat, burning a way down to the pit of his stomach. He scrunches his nose at the strong taste, pulling back and staring at the empty bottle. 

He doesn't feel anything weird after a few minutes, and he starts to think that maybe Junmyeon had tricked him before his eyes start to grow heavy and everything around him starts to merge together in a blur. It only takes a few seconds before he passes out in the sand. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I'm so excited for the next chapter! We'll finally get to see more of Chanyeol \o/ do you think Baekhyun made the right choice?


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